In order to achieve a better economic dispatch decision of the electricity generation while guaranteeing system security, the optimal transmission switching (OTS) has been proposed with the well-known N-k contingency security criterion. However, the challenge for treating the OTS problem considering N-k contingencies lie in that it may lead to a conservative result, since the optimal solution should simultaneously satisfy all the sets of N-k constraints. To address this problem, the corrective control with respect to different contingencies is utilised during the period when the transmission topology remains unchanged, which can be formulated as a two-stage problem. Consequently, a two-stage robust optimisation is employed to optimise the objective value under the worst contingency, so as to hedge against the contingency uncertainties. Comparison of the traditional N-1 OTS and the proposed robust N-1 OTS models on IEEE 30-bus test system shows that the robust OTS model has less conservatism than the traditional OTS model with the help of corrective actions. Moreover, it illustrates that the proposed method can be fairly applicable to cases with even N-k contingencies, which can facilitate the complexity of contingency analysis.


Background It has been documented that microRNAs (miRs) assume a pivotal role in the development of ischemic stroke (IS). However, it remains poorly identified about the role of miR-122 in IS. Herein, this study was intended to explore the mechanism of E2F1-orchestrated miR-122 in IS. Patients and Methods E2F1, miR-122, and SPRY2 expression in serum from patients with IS and oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-treated N2a cells was detected by RT-qPCR. After gain- and loss-of-function approaches in OGD-induced N2a cells, GAFP staining, flow cytometry, and Western blot analysis were adopted to assess neuronal viability, cell cycle and apoptosis, and expression of apoptosis- and autophagy-related proteins, respectively. Meanwhile, mice with IS were induced, in which E2F1, miR-122, and SPRY2 were overexpressed, followed by evaluation of neurological deficit and cerebral infarction area. The MAPK pathway activity in tissues of mice and cells was determined. Results miR-122 was down-regulated, and E2F1 and SPRY2 were up-regulated in IS patients and OGD-induced N2a cells. E2F1 inhibited miR-122 transcription, while miR-122 targeted SPRY2. Overexpression (OE) of miR-122 or down-regulation of E2F1 or SPRY2 increased viability, but decreased apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and autophagy in OGD-induced N2a cells. In IS mice, the neurological deficit score and cerebral infarction area were elevated, which was aggravated by up-regulating E2F1 or SPRY2 but attenuated by overexpressing miR-122. E2F1/miR-122/SPRY2 axis mediated the MAPK pathway in vivo and in vitro. Conclusion Collectively, E2F1 reduced miR-122 transcription to up-regulate SPRY2, which inactivated MAPK pathway and promoted neurological deficit in IS.


This study integrates potential gravity and magnetic field data with remotely sensed images and geological data in an effort to understand the subsurface major geological structures in Afghanistan. Integrated analysis of Landsat SRTM data was applied for extraction of geological lineaments. The potential field data were analyzed using gradient interpretation techniques, such as analytic signal (AS), tilt derivative (TDR), horizontal gradient of the tilt derivative (HG-TDR), Euler Deconvolution (ED) and power spectrum methods, and results were correlated with known geological structures.The analysis of remote sensing data and potential field data reveals the regional geological structural characteristics of Afghanistan. The power spectrum analysis of magnetic and gravity data suggests shallow basement rocks at around 1 to 1.5 km depth. The results of TDR of potential field data are in agreement with the location of the major regional fault structures and also the location of the basins and swells, except in the Helmand region (SW Afghanistan) where many high potential field anomalies are observed and attributed to batholiths and near-surface volcanic rocks intrusions.A high-resolution airborne geophysical survey in the data sparse region of eastern Afghanistan is recommended in order to have a complete image of the potential field anomalies.


A critical goal of multidisciplinary scientific teams is to integrate knowledge from diverse disciplines for the purpose of developing novel insights and innovations. For example, multidisciplinary translational teams (MTTs) which typically include physicians, biologists, statisticians, and informaticians, aim to integrate biological and clinical knowledge leading to innovations for improving health outcomes. However, such teams face numerous barriers in integrating multidisciplinary knowledge, which is further exacerbated by the explosion of molecular and clinical data generated from millions of patients. Here, we explore the use of a visual analytical representation to help MTTs integrate molecular and clinical data with the goal of accelerating translational insights. The results suggest that the visual analytical representation functioned as a "computational evolving boundary object" which (a) evolved through several emergent states that progressively helped integrate diverse disciplinary knowledge, (b) enabled team members to play primary and supportive roles in evolving the data representation resulting in a more egalitarian team structure, and (c) enabled the team to arrive at novel translational insights leading to domain and methodology publications. However, the interventions also revealed limitations in the approach motivating new visual analytical approaches. These results suggest (a) implications for theory related to modeling computational evolving boundary objects (CEBOs) as an instance of team-centered informatics, and (b) implications for practice related to the design and use of interactive features that enable teams to fluidly evolve CEBOs through emergent states, with the goal of deriving novel insights from large multiomics datasets.


Polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) thin films for application to display devices and solar cell are generally fabricated by crystallizing amorphous Si (a-Si) thin film precursors. In this paper, studies on Ni-induced lateral crystallization of a-Si thin films by microwave annealing at low temperature were reported. The crystallization of a-Si thin films was enhanced by applying microwaves to the films. The poly-Si films were invested by Optical Microscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) , Raman Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM). After processing of Ni-induced lateral crystallization by microwave annealing above 500°C, the a-Si has begun to be crystallized with large grains having the main (111) orientation. The rate of crystallization at 550°C is about 0.033μm/min. Compared to Ni-induced lateral crystallization by conventional furnace annealing, Ni-induced lateral crystallization by microwave annealing both lowers the crystallization temperature and reduces the time of crystallization. The crystallization mechanism during microwave annealing was also studied. The technique that combines Ni-induced lateral crystallization with microwave annealing has potential applications in thin-film transistors (TFT's) and solar cell.


The study focuses on the analysis of the pile capacity and pile length for various cities of Metro Manila. Standard Penetration Test (SPT) N-values from soil reports were used to compute for the geotechnical parameters such as the undrained shear strength and the angle of internal friction which were directly applied in the computation of the allowable pile capacity. The estimation of the pile length, on the other hand, was done by means of determining the depth of the refusal or rock layer. The proposed minimum pile length and the allowable pile capacity values for each city are plotted to establish a contour map. By means of the collected borehole data, the allowable pile capacity was computed, which was shown in the reference as a series of contour maps. The contour maps were provided to show an overview of the soil's pile capacity at various locations in Metro Manila, Philippines. The contour maps presented vary by means of the design of pile, the size of the pile and the proposed pile length for a specific city or municipality and for the entire Metro Manila. A Geographic Information System (GIS) database was made so as to have storage for the collected borehole data and their locations. The database can be updated for the availability of new data.


Ionic liquids (IL) represent fascinating new class of solvents with unusual physical and chemical properties; low melting salts (up to 1000C). The main driving force for research in this area is the need to find replacement for environmentally damaging solvents in a wide range of chemical processes. To date, most chemical reactions have been carried out in molecular solvents. For the past twenty years, most of our understanding of our chemistry has been based upon the behavior of molecules in the solution phase in molecular solvents. Recently a new class of solvents has emerged called as Ionic liquids. An ionic liquid is an organic salt in which the ions are poorly coordinated, which results in these solvents being liquid below 100°C, or even at room temperature (room temperature ionic liquids, RTIL's). At least one ion has a delocalized charge and one component is organic, which prevents the formation of a stable crystal lattice. Ionic liquids are composed entirely of ions. For example, molten sodium chloride is an ionic liquid; in contrast, a solution of sodium chloride in water (a molecular solvent) is an ionic solution. The term "ionic liquids" has replaced the older phrase "molten salts" (or "melts"), which suggests that they are high-temperature, corrosive, viscous media (like molten minerals). The reality is that ionic liquids can be liquid at temperatures as low as –96°C. Furthermore, room-temperature ionic liquids are frequently colourless, fluid, and easy to handle. In the patent and academic literature, the term "ionic liquids" now refers to liquids composed entirely of ions that are fluid around or below 100°C1. Properties, such as melting point, viscosity, and solubility of starting materials and other solvents, are determined by the substituents on the organic component and by the counter ion. Many ionic liquids have even been developed for specific synthetic problems. For this reason, ionic liquids have been termed "designer solvents". This means that their properties can be adjusted to suit the requirements of a particular process. Properties such as melting point, viscosity, density, and hydrophobicity can be varied by simple changes to the structure of the ions. For example, the melting points of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborates and hexafluorophosphates are a function of the length of the 1-alkyl group, and form liquid crystalline phases for alkyl chain lengths over 12 carbon atoms. Another important property that changes with structure is the miscibility of water in these ionic liquids. For example, 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate salts are miscible with water at 25 °C where the alkyl chain length is less than 6, but at or above 6 carbon atoms, they form a separate phase when mixed with water. This behaviour can be of substantial benefit when carrying out solvent extractions or product separations, as the relative solubility's of the ionic and extraction phase can be adjusted to make the separation as easy as possible. In addition, ionic liquids have practically no vapour pressure which facilitates product separation by distillation. There are also indications that switching from a normal organic solvent to an ionic liquid can lead to novel and unusual chemical reactivity. This opens up a wide field for future investigations into this new class of solvents in catalytic applications. Research into ionic liquids is booming. The first industrial process involving ionic liquids was announced in March 2003, and the potential of ionic liquids for new chemical technologies is beginning to be recognized. One of the primary driving forces behind research into ionic liquids is the perceived benefit of substituting traditional industrial solvents, most of which are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), with non-volatile ionic liquids. Replacement of conventional solvents by ionic liquids would prevent the emission of VOCs, a major source of environmental pollution.  Ionic liquids are not intrinsically "green"—some are extremely toxic—but they can be designed to be environmentally benign, with large potential benefits for sustainable chemistry. There are four principal strategies to avoid using conventional organic solvents: No solvent (heterogeneous catalysis), water, supercritical fluids, and ionic liquids. The solventless option is the best established, and is central to the petrochemical industry, the least polluting chemical sector. The use of water can also be advantageous, but many organic compounds are difficult to dissolve in water, and disposing of contaminated aqueous streams is expensive2. Supercritical fluids, which have both gas- and liquid-like properties, are highly versatile solvents for chemical synthesis. This technology was recently commercialized by Thomas Swan & Co., Ltd., in a chemical plant designed for multipurpose synthesis. Together with ionic liquids, these alternative solvent strategies (sometimes referred to as alternative reaction media or green solvents) provide a range of options to industrialists looking to minimize the environmental impact of their chemical processes. What are the advantages of using a room-temperature ionic liquid in an industrially relevant catalytic process? As noted above, ionic liquids have no detectable vapour pressure, and therefore contribute no VOCs to the atmosphere. But this is not the only reason for using ionic liquids. Another is that at least a million binary ionic liquids, and 1018 ternary ionic liquids, are potentially possible3. (For comparison, about 600 molecular solvents are in use today.) The next decade should see ionic liquids being used in many applications where conventional organic solvents are used today. Furthermore, ionic liquids will enable new applications that are not possible with conventional solvents. In the future, solvents will be designed to control chemistry, rather than the chemistry being dictated by the more limited range of molecular solvents currently used4. As discussed above, Ionic liquids are salts consisting of cations such as imidazolium, pyridinium, quarternary ammonium and quarternaryphosphonium, and anions such as halogen, triflate, trifluoroborate and hexafluorophosphate, which exists in the liquid state at relatively low temperatures. Their characteristic features include almost no vapour pressure, non-inflammability, non-combustibility, high thermal stability, relatively low viscosity, wide temperature ranges for being liquids and ionic liquid conductivity.

KEY WORDS: ionic liquids, green solvents, designer solvents, low melting salts.


This research aims to know the influence of service quality, promotion and price towards the decision to buy the service of relaxation massage and body care in House of Roidain the city of Surabaya. The research type used is the explanatory research. The questionnaire result and interviews are the primary data in this research whereas the journals and references used by the researcher is the secondary data. The population in this research is taken from the number of customers that has came to and had a treatment at least twice in House of Roidafrom the beginning of its operation in June 2014 until the month of April 2015, which gives 101 people taken from a population of 424 people using the purposive sampling technique. The data analysis used in this reasearch the validation and reliability test, Multiple Linear Regression, F-test, t-test, Coefficient correlation analysis, Determination Coefficient, Multicolinearity Test, Heterokedasticity test, Normality Test, Linearity Test. Y = 0,397 + 0,342.X1+ 0,243.X2 + 0,256.X3. The analysis result shows that the variables of service quality, promotion and price has a positive and significant relationship with the buying decision variable. The hypothesis test is done using the F-test, which gives a F number of 17.728 with a significance of 0,000<0,05, which shows that that the three independent variable that is being researched is proven to significantly and simultaneously influence the dependent variable of buying decision. Through the t-test, it can be observed that each variables of service quality, promotion and price has an influence towards the buying decision variable with a significant value <(α=0,05). Moreover, the significant value of promotion is 0,013, with the value being 0,028 for service quality and 0,023 for the prive variable. Keyword: service quality, promotion, massage service, customer


Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (cMUT) technology is a new trend for intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging. Large bandwidth, high sensitivity and compatibility to CMOS processes makes the cMUT a better choice compared to the conventional piezoelectric transducer. To exploit the merits of cMUT technology, an accurately designed front end circuit is required. The circuit functions as an output pulse driver for the generation of the acoustic signal and buffers the return echo. For an accurate evaluation before tape-out, the circuit has to be simulated using the post-layout extracted netlist of the IC with the electrical equivalent circuit that models the transducer pulse-echo behavior. In this paper, we present two different designs of front-end IC for 2D cMUT arrays that can be used for intravascular ultrasound imaging system. To simulate the response of the front-end circuit, we first developed a pulse-echo model for an array element using Mason Equivalent Circuit. The model is then combined with the front-end circuit using Cadence Spectre. The simulation results are verified by comparing them to experimental data obtained from the manufactured front-end IC. The results show that the front-end circuit tested with the equivalent circuit model of the cMUT elements is promising for the optimization of the overall system performance before manufacturing.


Privacy policies emerge as the main mechanism to inform users on the way their information is managed by online service providers, and still remain the dominant approach for this purpose. Literature notes that users find difficulties in understanding privacy policies because they are usually written in technical or legal language even, although most users are unfamiliar with them. These difficulties have led most users to skip reading privacy policies and blindly accept them. In an effort to address this challenge this paper presents AppWare, a multiplatform tool that intends to improve the visualization of privacy policies for mobile applications. AppWare formulates a visualized report with the permission set of an application, which is easily understandable by a common user. AppWare aims to bridge the difficulty to read privacy policies and android's obscure permission set with a new privacy policy visualization model. To validate AppAware we conducted a survey through questionnaire aiming to evaluate AppAware in terms of installability, usability, and viability-purpose. The results demonstrate that AppAware is assessed above average by the users in all categories.


Current legal practices in collegiate club sport programs were studied. A 23-item questionnaire consisting primarily of close-ended questions was mailed to 563 campus recreation directors representing all six National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) regions. Data obtained showed that mean club sport budgets ranged from $51,657 in Region 4 to $135,657 in Region 6, with an overall mean of $69,138 across all regions. Signing a waiver before participating was required by 91% of the directors. Lack of consistency in waiver language and font size was reported. Only 9% of campus recreation directors always require that an institutional employee travel with a club sport team. The most frequent modes of approved travel for club sport participants were students driving personal cars (94%), renting vans from outside vendors (95%), and the use of private transportation such as a chartered bus (70%). Paid coaches were used by 15% of the directors.


Advances in Information and communication technology have paved a way for electronic mail commonly referred as email to become the medium of communication. Over the recent years this medium has become the target of abuse through spamming. One of the approaches of combating spamming is the use of automatic spam filtering through machine learning. The conventional features in automatic spam filtering are Term Frequency with Inverse Document Frequency (TFIDF). In this paper, an alternative approach is presented with the use of Relative Frequency with Power Transformation (RFPT) coupled with lemmatization technique. The techniques used considerably show improvements over the conventional one that is TFIDF.


The most critical factors in the acceleration of climate and environmental changes are related to the industrial development and consequently to an increase in the demand for electricity. Looking for measures that minimize impacts to the environment, alternative energy sources are gaining more and more space in the Brazilian energy matrix. Brazil presents a great solar potential for the generation of electric energy, so the knowledge of solar radiation and its characteristics are fundamental for the study of the energy use. Due to the above, this article aims to verify the climatic variability corresponding to the variations in solar radiation patterns, in the face of climate change scenarios. The database used in this research is part of the Phase 5 Intercomparison of Matching Models (CMIP5). Was used the RCP 8.5 that scenario is considered the most pessimistic for the 21st century and is consistent with no policy change to reduce emissions and strong dependence on fossil fuels. It is important, first of all, to determine its availability in order to enable the use of solar radiation as a source of energy in a given location and / or region. The climatic projections, based on the pessimistic scenario, in a 75-year period (2026-2100) showed a fall in solar radiation in all of Rio Grande do Sul, reaching 12% in the eastern region of the state. A concern with the factors that influence the pessimistic perspectives of this scenario, as it may affect a possible production of electric energy from solar radiation.


After comprehensively reviewing various methodologies related to productivity growth rate, this paper estimates that Korea's TFP growth rate in the 2000s is not substantially lower than that in the 1990s.This estimation implies that Korea's TFP growth maintains a sustainable pace, and hence less likelihood of a sharp decline in growth in the future. oDue to aging population, the growth in factor inputs such as labor and capital is gradually losing pace, causing unavoidable consequences of a slowdown in the entire economy to some extent, but if the pace of productivity growth is sustained, per capita income growth rate might not slow down sharply.In particular, in the post-Asian crisis in 1997, when structuring reforms were actively pursued, productivity growth is estimated to increase higher than that in the pre-crisis period. oThis paper divides the subject period into the 1990s and 2000s for comparison with precedent studies, but comparing the decade before the crisis (1988~1997) with that after the crisis (1998~2007) finds that the TFP growth rate in the post-crisis period turns out to be higher by 0.4 percentage point than that in the pre-crisis period.oIt is thought that Korea's productivity growth accelerating after 1998 has been significantly contributed by structural reforms across all sectors of the economy in the post-crisis period.Therefore, consistent structural reforms are indispensable to maintain the growth pace in productivity.oIt is not possible to quantitate effects of productivity growth brought by each and every one of huge number of structural reform agendas but it is mostly agreed that formulating a system that could uphold and develop the orders of market economy and operating it in a transparent manner are the most important factor in improving the productivity of overall economy.oIt should be noted that, nevertheless, since the global financial crisis in 2008, policy focus has been largely on risk management of negative impacts, instead of fundamental structural reforms, according to some assessments. - An explicit assessment is not easy in this case when taking into account repercussions from the global financial crisis, but this paper estimates that in most cases reviewed, productivity growth in the second half of 2000s is lower than that in the first half of 2000s.


Interdisciplinary collaboration is gaining importance. Although general practices (GP's) have a comprehensive experience in collaboration with psychologists, research on this topic is scarce. In house referrals to a psychologist are assumed to lower the thresholds for patients and GP's. In this study it was investigated whether the GP's reasons to refer in were accordance with the treatment strategy of the residing psychologist. The study is performed in a retrospective, observational cross section design. The studied population were the residing psychologist and GP's. Both were asked to complete a questionnaire. Outcome measures where the referral reasons of the GP's and the treatment strategy of the psychologist. A total sample of 92 patients of 6 GP's was studied. Over 60% of the patients were referred for counseling but only in 25% of the cases this proposal was carried out by the psychologist. Overall, the referral reasons of the GP's were not in accordance with the treatment strategy of the psychologist. A close collaboration and communication between general practitioners and psychologists is both difficult and indispensable. This practice research demonstrated that the referral motives of the GP's usually do not correspond to the treatment policy of the psychologist. This observation is partly explained by a lack of understanding of the GP in the treatment strategies of the psychologists. Another part of the explanation is that there is a pre-selection of the GPs referrals rather influenced by patient characteristics than by pathology.


Sera from 282 equines from Tandil country and surroundings were investigated searching for hemagglutination inhibition (HI), Complement fixation (CF), and Neutralizing (NT) antibodies against three flavivirus:Ilheus, St. Louis Encephalitis, and Yellow Fever from the Togaviridae family. Sera were collected between 3-20-79 and 11-25-80 from 10 different places in Tandil and Ayacucho countries. Animals ranged from 45 days to 27 years old. Forty nine of them reacted with one or more flavivirus by HI and/or CF tes representing a prevalence of 17.4% for this antigenic complex. Twenty four of them neutralized ILH, 6 SLE and from them 2 neutralized both viruses. Twenty one cannot be endorsed to ILH or SLE but to some other/s flavivirus present in the environment but not present in the test since they did not neutralize any of them. Other 12 sera with no HI or CF antibodies for any of the three viruses did not neutralize ILH or SLE. Results showed ILH and SLE viruses, both isolated in man during previous years studied in Argentina, to be endemic in the area and to be naturally infecting horses, perhaps without producing detectable disease, since no epizootics due to SLE or ILH viruses were reported on the horse population investigated.


Biomasses and their possible use as energy resource are of great interest today, and the general problem of energy resources as well. In the present study the key questions of the convenience, from both energy and economy standpoints, have been addressed without any bias: the problem has been handled starting from "philosophical" bases disregarding any pre-settled ideology or political trend, but simply using mathematical approaches as logical tools for defining balances in a right way. In this context quantitative indexes such as LCA and EROEI have been widely used, together with multicriteria methods (such as ELECTRE) as decision supporting tools. This approach permits to remove mythologies, such as the unrealistic concept of clean energy, or the strange idea of biomasses as a magic to solve every thing in the field of the energy. As a consequence the present study aims to find any relevant aspect potentially useful for the society, looking at any possible source of energy without prejudices but without unrealistic expectations too. For what concerns biomasses, we studied in great details four very different cases of study, in order to have a scenario as various as much we can. A relevant result is the need to use biomasses together with other more efficient sources, especially recovering by-products from silviculture activities: but attention should be paid to the transportation and environmental costs. Another relevant result is the very difficult possibility of reliable evaluation of dedicated cultures as sources for "biomasses for energy": the problem has to be carefully evaluated case-by-case, because what seems useful in a context, becomes totally disruptive in another one. In any case the concept itself of convenience is not well defined at a level of macrosystem: it seems more appropriate to limit this very concept at a level of microsystem, considering that what sounds fine in a limited well defined microsystem may cause great damage in another slightly different, or even very similar, microsystem. This approach seems the right way to solve the controversy about the concept of convenience.


A multiaxial fatigue damage model for fibre reinforced polymer composite materials is presented. The model combines (i) fatigue-induced fibre strength and modulus degradation, (ii) irrecoverable cyclic strain effects and (iii) inter-fibre fatigue. The inter-fibre fatigue aspect is based on a fatigue-modified version of the Puck multiaxial failure criterion for static failure. The model is implemented in a user material finite element subroutine and calibrated against fatigue test data for unidirectional glass fibre epoxy. A programme of uniaxial fatigue tests on quasi-isotropic glass fibre epoxy laminates is presented for validation of the novel fatigue damage methodology. The latter is successfully validated across a range of stress levels.


INTRODUCTION In this paper, a collective of Psychiatry Residents from Valencia surveys the degree of achievement and satisfaction with the Spanish programme. METHOD Every resident received an enquiry and a letter with instructions to fill it. Colleagues who did not answer back, were contacted and sent a new enquiry. RESULTS We received a total of 142 enquiries from 52 institutions (80% of the total). The results are distributed in supervision, theoretical training, research, rotatories, assistential pressure, staff-resident ratio, training out of the programme and satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS This work show that the programme is not being carried out properly. There are still some deficiencies in many rotatories, even though they have been improved. In spite of it, the level of satisfaction with the residence is acceptable.


This study demonstrates a number of methods for using field sampling and observed lake characteristics and patterns to improve techniques for development of algae remote sensing models and applications. As satellite and airborne sensors improve and their data are more readily available, applications of models to estimate water quality via remote sensing are becoming more practical for local water quality monitoring, particularly of surface algal conditions. Despite the increasing number of applications, there are significant concerns associated with remote sensing model development and application, several of which are addressed in this study. These concerns include: (1) selecting sensors which are suitable for the spatial and temporal variability in the water body; (2) determining appropriate uses of near-coincident data in empirical model calibration; and (3) recognizing potential limitations of remote sensing measurements which are biased toward surface and near-surface conditions. We address these issues in three lakes in the Great Salt Lake surface water system (namely the Great Salt Lake, Farmington Bay, and Utah Lake) through sampling at scales that are representative of commonly used sensors, repeated sampling, and sampling at both near-surface depths and throughout the water column. The variability across distances representative of the spatial resolutions of Landsat, SENTINEL-2 and MODIS sensors suggests that these sensors are appropriate for this lake system. We also use observed temporal variability in the system to evaluate sensors. These relationships proved to be complex, and observed temporal variability indicates the revisit time of Landsat may be problematic for detecting short events in some lakes, while it may be sufficient for other areas of the system with lower short-term variability. Temporal variability patterns in these lakes are also used to assess near-coincident data in empirical model development. Finally, relationships between the surface and water column conditions illustrate potential issues with near-surface remote sensing, particularly when there are events that cause mixing in the water column.


The formation of DNA-strand breaks was studied in cultured human lung cells (A 549) subjected to iron, either in the form of iron(III) citrate or in combination with the metal chelators ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA), nitrilo triacetic acid (NTA), or 8-hydroxyquinoline (8HQ). After 15 min exposure to 5 microM iron(III) citrate or iron chelate, the cellular levels of iron were found to be three times higher in cells subjected to iron-8HQ than in cells subjected to iron(III) citrate, iron-EDTA or iron-NTA. Exposure to iron-8HQ caused extensive DNA-strand breakage, whereas no such breakage was found in cells exposed to iron-EDTA or iron-NTA. The DNA damage caused by iron-8HQ increased with time and dose, and DNA-strand breakage was clearly demonstrable in cells after 15 min exposure to as little as 0.1 microM iron-8HQ. Moreover, iron-8HQ was strongly toxic to the cells and inhibited their growth after exposure. Along with the formation of DNA-strand breaks, the concentration of cellular malondialdehyde increased four-fold after exposure to iron-8HQ and two-fold after exposure to iron-EDTA or iron-NTA, suggesting that reactive oxygen metabolites might be involved in the toxic action. Moreover, both iron-EDTA and iron-NTA caused a considerable hydroxylation of deoxyguanosine (dG) residues in DNA in vitro, whereas iron(III) citrate and iron-8HQ only caused a minor hydroxylation of dG. This points to the possibility that iron-8HQ-mediated DNA-strand breakage in cells might be due to the action of a metal-bound oxyl radical formed from the iron-8HQ complex rather than to the formation of hydroxyl radicals. Altogether, these findings indicate that iron bound to the lipophilic chelator, 8HQ, has strong toxic properties and that it may cause substantial DNA-strand breakage and lipid peroxidation in living cells.


Introduction: Clomiphene citrate is a nonsteroidal ovulation inducer used in the treatment of infertility. This drug belongs to biopharmaceutical classification system Class-II often possesses challenges concerning solubility or poor dissolution, drug release, and thereby enhance the bioavailability. Aim: The aim of the study was to improve the solubility of the drug as well as to make the formulation more feasible liquisolid technique was adopted. Materials and Methods: Here, Avicel PH 102(Q) and Aerosil 200(q) in varying ratios ranging from 5, 10, 20, and 25 were employed as coating and carrier materials (R=Q/q), and their quantities incorporated into formulation were calculated based on the mathematical formulae developed by Spireas and final powder substrate developed was compressed into a tablet by direct compression method. Twelve formulations LS1 to LS12 were prepared and subjected to drug excipient interactions studies, pre-compression, and post-compression studies and compared with the marketed formulation. Results and Discussion: The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results showed no interaction between drug-excipients. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry analysis indicated that the clomiphene citrate is held within the powder substrate in a solubilized, almost molecularly dispersed state and in liquisolid as an amorphous powder with no signs of instability on storage. An optimized formulation was selected based on the in vitro, drug release studies. LS2 formulation containing Avicel PH 102(Q):Aerosil 200(q) a ratio of 10:1 and drug concentration 10% exhibited the controlled and complete/highest drug release rate of 96.46% in 30 min in comparison with the marketed product. Conclusion: Thus, we propose that liquisolid technique can be chosen as the most economical and alternative approach to enhance the solubility of clomiphene citrate.


An effective and quick approach to selectively separate sulfate anions from ethanol solution or water/EtOH mixture (1 : 1, v/v) based on the precipitation of the neutral sulfate complex, without the slow crystallization process and by utilizing a positive-charged and low-solubility receptor, is illustrated in this paper. The cationic receptor [HL1]+ with the tris(aminomethyl)ethane platform appended with three pyrrolic arms is capable of selectively separating HSO4− or H2PO4− anions in the form of precipitates from EtOH. The mono-protonated tetrapodal receptor [HL2]+, based upon a cyclic C4N2 six-member chair-form platform equipped with four pyrrolic moieties, was constructed in situ through anion-templated chemical synthesis from L1 and pyrrole-2-carboxaldehyde. This receptor shows the capability of selectively precipitating sulfate anions in EtOH or ethanol/water solution. A minor structural modification from L1 to L2 through chemical synthesis in situ leads to an increase of selectivity for sulfate binding and precipitation. The solid-state crystal structure of the precipitates [HL2]2[SO4] after recrystallization shows the encapsulation of a single sulfate within a cavity embraced by two receptors, thereby forming a supramolecular capsule. This tetrapodal receptor exhibits high affinity for sulfate anions as also revealed by a chloroform–water extraction experiment, and can be recycled after NaOH(aq) treatment for continuous usage.


Common mental disorders (CMD) are common in people with HIV. Depression adds to the burden of disease experienced, contributes to difficulties with medication adherence as well as self care skills; and increases the risks of morbidity and mortality. In this paper we have tried to determine risk factors for incident and persistent CMD in people living with HIV (PLHIV) in developing countries. This was a one year longitudinal study of PLHIV who agreed to participate in the ASHA community based intervention programme in Goa, India. Data was collected at baseline and after the participants had received the intervention for at least 12 months. Data was collected on sociodemographic factors, HIV related health (e.g. CD4 count), HIV related care (satisfaction with care), attendance at support groups and mental health. Multivariate analyses were undertaken to examine the predictors of persistent CMD and incident CMD. Of the 162 participants eligible for the end-line assessment at one year, 102 (63%) agreed to participate. 21.6% had incident CMD and 23.5% had persistent CMD. On multivariate analyses, the statistically significant predictors of incident CMD were requiring ART (RR 2.82; 95% CI 1.11–7.15), female gender (RR 11.79; 95% CI 2.34–59.23) and unemployment (RR 4.29; 95% CI 1.62–11.35). On multivariate analyses, the statistically significant predictors of persistent CMD were lack of satisfaction with care (RR 5.06; 95% CI 1.79–14.28) and female gender (RR 6.47; 95% CI 2.09–19.99). Certain sub groups of PLHIV are at an increased risk of new and persistent depression and consequently would benefit from more intensive mental health input. Mental health care must be integrated into HIV and AIDS care programme in low-income countries and delivered by non-specialist health workers in low-resource settings.


The maintenance of coral reef framework results from a balance between skeletal accretion and bioerosion, and this balance can be disrupted by environmental stress and disturbance. Coral reefs in northeastern Arabia exist in extreme environmental conditions and have experienced severe disturbances in recent years. This study assessed the intensity of macrobioerosion in two regionally common species, Platygyra daedalea and Cyphastrea microphthalma, at three sites within the southern Persian/Arabian Gulf and at one site in the Sea of Oman. On average, bioeroders removed 9.2±1.6% of the skeletal surface area in P. daedalea and 26.4±1.6% in C. microphthalma, with variation between species attributed to differences in colony morphology. Bioerosion intensity varied among sites in each species. Within the southern Arabian Gulf, both P. daedalea and C. microphthalma showed the highest bioerosion intensity at Delma, in the western region, compared with that of Saadiyat or Ras Ghanada to the east, with the elevated bioerosion at Delma consistent with a history of more extreme environmental conditions and bleaching-related disturbances. The highest bioerosion in P. daedalea occurred at Fujairah in the Sea of Oman, and this site was amongst the highest in C. microphthalma. Although this site is characterized by more benign environmental conditions, reefs in this area experienced mass coral mortality due to anoxia during a large-scale harmful algal bloom in 2008/9 and the high bioerosion in Fujairah likely represents a long-term signature of this disturbance. The intensity of macrobioerosion observed here is high compared with other regions, suggesting that that chronic exposure to long-term environmental stress and a history of disturbance may lead enhanced loss of reef framework.


Introduction As a hospice for children and young adults we wanted to find creative, cost effective ways to enrich patient lives, using volunteers as befrienders to promote normalisation which research shows is a priority for this population. Aims We aimed to recruit befriending volunteers with a developed skills set, to ensure flexibility and enhance patient experience. We aimed to set up systems to recruit, train, support, and enable volunteers to work safely. Methods Semi-structured interviews with patients and staff revealed a demand for volunteers in a befriending role. The appointment of a Care Team member to act as a link between the care team and volunteers was essential as previous attempts to introduce volunteers to care areas were unsuccessful. Volunteer roles were widely advertised and client centred interviews enabled us to select the right personalities and understand each applicant's skills. Volunteers are required to attend 26 h of training including familiarisation with the hospice before commencement. Results The skill set and diversity of volunteers has added greatly to hospice life. Volunteers skills include massage, hairdressers, musicians, doctors, actors, and students thus expanding the range of services we can offer to guests. Committed volunteers may be offered the opportunity to undertake further training and fulfil an 'Advanced Volunteer' role. Discussion The project has experienced challenges in ensuring that all staff embrace the benefits of care team volunteers. Introducing 'Managing Volunteers' training for staff helped to address this. Future plans include extended training and setting more rigorous induction to encourage only the most committed volunteers. Conclusion With stringent selection, training and supervision care team volunteers can significantly enhance patient experience through normalisation and enhanced activities, an additional benefit has been the embedding of the hospice in our local community.


In the seventeenth century, a map of the plague suggested a radical idea-that the disease was carried and spread by humans. In the nineteenth century, maps of cholera cases were used to prove its waterborne nature. More recently, maps charting the swine flu pandemic caused worldwide panic and sent shockwaves through the medical community. In "Disease Maps", Tom Koch contends that to understand epidemics and their history we need to think about maps of varying scale, from the individual body to shared symptoms evidenced across cities, nations, and the world. "Disease Maps" begins with a brief review of epidemic mapping today and a detailed example of its power. Koch then traces the early history of medical cartography, including pandemics such as European plague and yellow fever, and the advancements in anatomy, printing, and world atlases that paved the way for their mapping. Moving on to the scourge of the nineteenth century-cholera-Koch considers the many choleras argued into existence by the maps of the day, including a new perspective on John Snow's science and legacy. Finally, Koch addresses contemporary outbreaks such as AIDS, cancer, and H1N1, and reaches into the future, toward the coming epidemics. Ultimately, "Disease Maps" redefines conventional medical history with new surgical precision, revealing that only in maps do patterns emerge that allow disease theories to be proposed, hypotheses tested, and treatments advanced.


Recent concerns about the role of the drainage and vent systems installed in high-rise and other buildings in the possible spread of airborne contamination have highlighted the need for simulations capable of predicting system response when subject to multiple and random events. Such simulations would allow designers to predict the possible contamination routes established as a result of failures of the system, e.g. trap seal loss and/or the influence of dried-out traps. In addition, the simulations proposed would provide diagnostic tools in the event of cross-contamination. Mathematical solutions are used to simulate the system unsteady water and entrained airflows, and the application of these simulations to predict likely contamination routes. The AIRNET simulation is employed to represent the unsteady air and water down-flow conditions in the network, the associated propagation of air pressure transients and trap response. The simulation can provide a design and standards development tool as well as a forensic and diagnostic tool for the investigation of suspected cross-contamination. The simulations confirm that cross-contamination routes result from normal operation and random failure conditions, including system surcharge and trap depletion due to, for example, poor maintenance. It suggests that simulation predictions have an important role in ascertaining potential hazards, as well as a forensic role.


The paper describes results after clinical approbation of intralamellar keratoplasty used for treatment of 9 patients with chronic keratoconus, the follow-up period ranging from 1 to 3.5 years. The technique of the operation consists in transplantation of an implant in a form of a disc into the layers of a thinned cornea and allows to stabilize the development of chronic keratoconus, to somewhat flatten the cornea and to rise visual acuity. The operation is technically simple, avoids the using of sutures that traumatize the cornea and the implant, can be used for treatment of early stages of keratoconus when there aren't yet coarse changes in corneal stroma.


A new strain, Streptomyces rimosus LS-T hybrid, characterized by a lower level of foaming and higher antibiotic activity as compared to the other active strains of S. rimosus, is obtained as a result of selection among prototrophic recombinant forms of strains LS-T293 and BS-21. The studies on strain LS-T hybrid show the possibilities of combining properties of different strains of S. rimosus in the hybrid forms. The occurrence of new properties in the hybrid forms is detected.


Proboscidean limb bones discovered in Yukon during the 1960s and 1970s exhibit fracture patterns, notches, and bone flakes that are characteristic of percussion. Because of the unique properties of thick cortical proboscidean bone (probably woolly mammoth Mammuthus primigenius or less likely American mastodon Mammut americanum ), some researchers hypothesized that these fracture patterns represent intentional hammerstone modification by humans for marrow extraction and bone tool production. As such, these fracture patterns represent evidence of early human dispersal into Eastern Beringia. Radiocarbon dating in the late 1980s indicated that the bone breakage occurred between about 25 000 and 40 000 radiocarbon years before present (14C yr BP). We report 11 new radiocarbon ages using ultra-filtration methods on a different sample of similarly fractured and flaked bones from Yukon. Only two of the radiocarbon ages fall within the expected range of 25 000 to 40 000 14C yr BP. Six other ages are non-finite, with five being more than 49 100 14C yr BP. Three finite ages range between 46 500 and 50 500 14C yr BP with large standard deviations, and these ages may also be non-finite. Two testable hypotheses to explain the observed breakage patterns were developed, the first being that humans broke the bones and the second that some presently unknown geological process broke the bones. Further research is needed to test these two hypotheses.


We generalize the degree-organizational view [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] of real-world networks with broad degree-distributions [6, 7, 8, 9] in a landscape analogue with mountains (high-degree nodes) and valleys (low-degree nodes). For example, correlated degrees between adjacent nodes corresponds to smooth landscapes (social networks) [1], hierarchical networks to one-mountain landscapes (the Internet) [5], and degree-disassortative networks without hierarchical features to rough landscapes with several mountains [2, 5, 10, 11]. We also generate ridge landscapes to model networks organized under constraints imposed by the space the networks are embedded in, associated to spatial or, in molecular networks, to functional localization. To quantify the topology, we here measure the widths of the mountains and the separation between different mountains.


The metabolic and physiological responses to 90 minutes of soccer-specific exercise have been extensively reported. However, the responses to an additional 30 minutes of play (termed extratime; ET) are unclear. This is surprising as performance during ET can determine progression in specific tournament matches. PURPOSE: To profile the metabolic and physiological responses to 120 minutes of simulated soccer match-play. METHODS: Following habituation of protocol-specific practices, 22 university standard soccer players (21 ± 2 y) completed 120 minutes of a soccer-specific protocol. Venous blood was collected during exercise for analysis of blood glucose and lactate, plasma insulin, epinephrine, interleukin-6 (IL-6) glycerol, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and plasma volume changes. Heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and 15-m sprint velocities were measured throughout exercise. RESULTS: Repeated measures analysis of variance highlighted that exercise significantly influenced all measured variables (p<0.001). Blood glucose, lactate and plasma insulin concentrations were lower (p<0.05) in ET compared to all time points up to, and including 90 minutes (-11%, -15%, -15%, compared to 90 min, respectively). Plasma IL-6, epinephrine, glycerol and NEFA were higher (p<0.05) in ET compared to all time points up to and including 90 minutes (+28%, +110%, +26%, +34%, compared to 90 min, respectively). There were no significant changes in plasma volume or HR during ET compared to the rest of exercise. RPE was higher (p<0.001) during ET compared to the first 90 minutes of exercise (16±2 vs. 13±2). Sprint velocities (15-m) were lower during ET compared to the first 90 minutes of exercise (4.98 ± 0.29 vs. 5.43 ± 0.38 ms-1; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The ET period elicits different physiological and metabolic responses to those observed during the prior 90 minutes of soccer-specific exercise. Reductions in blood glucose and lactate with concomitant increases in plasma epinephrine, NEFA and glycerol may demonstrate a greater reliance on fat oxidation and a likely greater dependency on endogenous fuel sources (i.e., muscle and liver glycogen). With reductions in exercise performance (i.e., reduced sprint velocities) and a greater physiological challenge (i.e., increased RPE), interventions that seek to attenuate diminutions in performance provide future research opportunities.


The peculiarities of structural transformations of different portions of the cranial caval veins were studied in 60 rats at Days 1-30 after birth. The alternating periods of rapid and slow increase in the length of the cranial caval veins were identified. Wall thickness in all the parts of the right cranial caval vein increased less significantly as compared with its length during the early period after birth (Days 1-11). At Days 16-30, the rate of growth of the length was reduced, while the vessel wall thickness increased. This regularity was not observed in the development of the left cranial caval vein. Instead, this vessel demonstrated alternating periods of accelerated and decelerated growth of the wall thickness.


Probabilistic model checking is a verification technique that has been the focus of intensive research for over a decade. One important issue with probabilistic model checking, which is crucial for its practical significance but is overlooked by the state-of-the-art largely, is the potential discrepancy between a stochastic model and the real-world system it represents when the model is built from statistical data. In the worst case, a tiny but nontrivial change to some model quantities might lead to misleading or even invalid verification results. To address this issue, in this paper, we present a mathematical characterization of the consequences of model perturbations on the verification distance. The formal model that we adopt is a parametric variant of discrete-time Markov chains equipped with a vector norm to measure the perturbation. Our main technical contributions include a closed-form formulation of asymptotic perturbation bounds, and computational methods for two arguably most useful forms of those bounds, namely linear bounds and quadratic bounds. We focus on verification of reachability properties but also address automata-based verification of omega-regular properties. We present the results of a selection of case studies that demonstrate that asymptotic perturbation bounds can accurately estimate maximum variations of verification results induced by model perturbations.


In many problems of risk analysis, failure is equivalent to the event of a random risk factor exceeding a given threshold. Failure probabilities can be controlled if a decisionmaker is able to set the threshold at an appropriate level. This abstract situation applies, for example, to environmental risks with infrastructure controls; to supply chain risks with inventory controls; and to insurance solvency risks with capital controls. However, uncertainty around the distribution of the risk factor implies that parameter error will be present and the measures taken to control failure probabilities may not be effective. We show that parameter uncertainty increases the probability (understood as expected frequency) of failures. For a large class of loss distributions, arising from increasing transformations of location‐scale families (including the log‐normal, Weibull, and Pareto distributions), the article shows that failure probabilities can be exactly calculated, as they are independent of the true (but unknown) parameters. Hence it is possible to obtain an explicit measure of the effect of parameter uncertainty on failure probability. Failure probability can be controlled in two different ways: (1) by reducing the nominal required failure probability, depending on the size of the available data set, and (2) by modifying of the distribution itself that is used to calculate the risk control. Approach (1) corresponds to a frequentist/regulatory view of probability, while approach (2) is consistent with a Bayesian/personalistic view. We furthermore show that the two approaches are consistent in achieving the required failure probability. Finally, we briefly discuss the effects of data pooling and its systemic risk implications.


ABSTRACT Changes in volatile compounds in dark and ordinary muscle of yellowtail during 2 days of refrigerated storage at 5°C were investigated. Twenty-seven compounds were identified in ordinary muscle and 39 in dark muscle during 2 days of storage at 5°C. Thirteen compounds at Day 0 of storage and 29 compounds at Day 2—such as 2,3-pentadione, 1-penten-3-ol, (Z)-2-penten-1-ol, and (E,Z)-2,4-heptadienal—identified in the dark muscle showed significantly higher values compared to ordinary muscle. Levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) in dark muscle were significantly higher than those in ordinary muscle throughout 2 days of storage period, and a significant increase in TBARS occurred in just dark muscle at Day 2 of storage. In ordinary muscle, viable cells remained at the same order of magnitude as their initial values for 2 days. Eight aldehydes in ordinary muscle and 25 volatile compounds in dark muscle increased significantly without microbial action prior to increase in TBARS during short-term cold storage. Principal component analysis of the volatile compounds in dark and ordinary muscle was able to differentiate between different storage time samples of same muscle type as well as different muscle samples of same storage time.


Application of the filtered-x Least Mean Square(LMS) adaptive filter to active noise control requires to estimate the transfer characteristics between the output and the error signal of the adaptive controller. In this paper, we derive the filtered-x adaptive noise control algorithm and analyze its convergence behavior when the acoustic noise consists of multiple sinusoids. The results of the convergence analysis of the filtered-x LMS algorithm indicate that the effects of the parameter estimation inaccuracy on the convergence behavior of the algorithm are characterized by two distinct components Phase estimation error and estimated gain. In particular, the convergence is shown to be strongly affected by the accuracy of the phase response estimate. Simulation results are presented to support the theoretical convergence analysis.


We establish global convergence results for stochastic fictitious play for four classes of games: games with an interior ESS, zero sum games, potential games, and supermodular games. We do so by appealing to techniques from stochastic approximation theory, which relate the limit behavior of a stochastic process to the limit behavior of a differential equation defined by the expected motion of the process. The key result in our analysis of supermodular games is that the relevant differential equation defines a strongly monotone dynamical system. Our analyses of the other cases combine Lyapunov function arguments with a discrete choice theory result: that the choice probabilities generated by any additive random utility model can be derived from a deterministic model based on payoff perturbations that depend nonlinearly on the vector of choice probabilities.


It is a pity that so many eminent societies have sponsored, and Thorax has published, a supplement entitled ''Guidelines on Interstitial Lung Disease'' which is incomplete because no mention is made of children. Interstitial lung disease is a problem at all ages. Indeed, genetic disorders such as surfactant protein C deficiency are relevant in adults and children. The supplement should have been entitled ''Guidelines on Interstitial Disease in Adults'' or, far better, brought together specialists in interstitial lung disease across all ages to achieve the truly comprehensive guideline that the present title erroneously implies.


This dissertation focuses on the interface of mood disorders and physical conditions from various perspectives. Patients with a psychiatric disorder have an increased risk of developing physical disorders and live ten to thirty years shorter than the general population. Our results found that patients with bipolar disorder are almost twice as likely to develop metabolic syndrome as the general population. This, in turn, increases their risk of cardiovascular disease. Patients with chronic pain often suffer from depressive symptoms. Our research shows that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is effective in reducing depressive symptoms in patients with chronic pain and depression and that body awareness plays a role. The final link between body and mind examined in this dissertation is cranial electrotherapy stimulation as a treatment for depression. This form of neurostimulation uses a small electric current to influence brain activity. 'Our results suggest that cranial electrotherapy stimulation using the Fisher Wallace Stimulator as an additional treatment option for patients with therapy-resistant depression does not yield demonstrably better results than the placebo.'


It is asserted in the introduction of this work that the current reforms for excellence are taking place in a context of extreme complexity, which puts at risk the meanings made of the term 'excellence in schooling'. There is an abundance of literature dealing with the characteristics of an excellent school but the paths towards the creation and maintenance of such a school are not so obvious. Support is given to the view that these paths will only be found by educational leaders', in particular school principals', taking up the challenge and generating models from within.

 The work traces the movement to create excellence in schooling from the mid 1970's to the present time and explores the parallel movement towards excellence in the corporate sector, with particular attention to the Japanese view of leadership especially that aspect which values people as whole beings with physical, spiritual, social and psychological needs.

The work provides a definition of excellence in schooling and addresses the issues of whether or not it can be attained and measured. It also explores the wider context in which reforms for excellence in schooling are taking place in the belief that making meaning of this context will assist educators in the implementation of the reforms. Some of the common assumptions which can inhibit success are examined and the assertion is made that a system view of change is necessary if effective implementation is to be carried out.

Leadership is seen as critical and particular emphasis is placed on the importance of vision and on leadership density. The work explores the leadership roles of the school principal with specific focus placed on the importance of culture and the principal's role in shaping that. It is asserted that, in order to have credibility and to be able to keep a finger on the pulse of the school, the principal must maintain a sound educational platform. It is also contended that there is tremendous potential for principals to use their expertise in teaching and learning to generate models for successfully implementing quality reforms.

A key feature of the work is the author's expression of her educational platform which emphasises her belief in the need to build a school community of learners centring on collaboration and cooperation among members of the school community. This is followed by a case study of Punch Bowl Primary School, in Launceston, Tasmania. The case study examines how a collaborative culture has been built at the school with resulting high levels of professionalism and of morale at a time when negative stress is evident in the public sector of education and there is low morale in the teaching profession generally.


The essential elements of a wide range of social policies can be described in terms of responses to three basic questions. First, what burdens must the innocent carry? Second, what burdens must the blameworthy bear? And third, how does society assess blame? This Essay examines the increasingly successful efforts of a faction of social conservatives, called here the new moralizers, to reshape the resolution of each of these three issues and with them a wide range of social policies. Although the relative importance of these three questions has varied over time, the twentieth century saw a movement away from costly individualized adjudications of fault and toward efficiency as a guiding principle of lawmaking. Over the past decade, the new moralizers have sought to reverse this trend selectively, transforming law and social policy to increase reliance on individual assessments of virtue in place of rules of broad application. The new moralizers have imposed a range of per se rules that stigmatize and restrict unpopular groups without individualized findings of fault, while requiring individualized determinations of blameworthiness before restricting members of elites. Most remarkably, they have sought to create conditions in which providing less protection to the concededly innocent appears a moral imperative. The new moralizers' implicit assumptions about human nature are strikingly inconsistent with those of the law and economics movement, but they have received inadvertent aid from liberals. This Essay concludes that technical arguments cannot meet this agenda's considerable populist appeal. Its excesses, however, can be exposed and contained.


might indicate a more general treatment; as it is the student must derive his inspiration from accounts of specific projects, which drive home certain lessons of method and procedure. I More general accounts of methodology, both in relation to research generally and to investigations of specific organs, are to be found in Volume 2, of which the section headings are: General Methodology; Systemic Disease: Skeletal Muscle; Cardiac Muscle; Liver; Kidney; Endocrines. In this volume 11 contributors have participated. Among the contributions are many which describe an unusual approach to current problems and outline advances which are not generally known. The section " Contributions to Special Pathology" in particular introduces new and interesting information on atherosclerosis and other subjects of present interest. Volume 3, in course of preparation, will be entitled Ultrastructural Histopathologic and Chemical Approaches. The sections will be Ultrastructural Pathology; Histopathology and Cytology; Chemical Pathology. It is to be hoped that the two further volumes which are planned will place greater stress on methodology. Hitherto, the accent has been on recent advances, and there are important omissions in the sphere of technical methods, such as the uses of telemetry, radioisotopes, computers, and fluorescence microscopy, among others. The level of editing is very high. Contributions take a standard form and printing errors are minimal. Bibliographies, attached to each contribution, are voluminous. The subject index is competently compiled, but could with advantage be fuller in a work of such complexity. The work will be of great value both to postgraduate students and to research workers. R. N. FIENNES.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
To determine the effectiveness of perfluorocarbon liquid in the repair of retinoschisis-associated retinal detachments.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Four patients with either degenerative or juvenile X-linked retinoschisis had rhegmatogenous retinal detachments that were repaired with the use of perfluorocarbon liquid during vitrectomy. The patients' ages ranged from 17 to 78 years and the postoperative follow-up was at least 6 months.

RESULTS
All of the patients had complete anatomic repair of the retinoschisis-associated retinal detachments. The postoperative visual acuity was 20/200 or better in all of the patients and 20/40 or better in half of the patients.

CONCLUSIONS
The use of perfluorocarbon liquid is an effective adjunct in the management of rhegmatogenous retinal detachments associated with degenerative and juvenile X-linked retinoschisis.


DNA polymerase III is an enzyme activity in eukaryotic cells which under certain conditions shows strong preference for polyadenylic acid as template when primed by oligodeoxythymidylate. Its first complete separation from other DNA polymerases in human lymphoblasts is reported. This enzyme is biochemically and immunologically distinct from DNA polymerase I and from viral reverse transcriptase from a primtate type C virus.


Introduction:  Lagomorphs (rabbits, hares, and pikas) are widely distributed in every continent of the world, except Antarctica. They include 91 species: 31 rabbits of the genera  Brachylagus , Bunolagus ,  Caprolagus , Nesolagus ,  Pentalagus , Poelagus ,  Prolagus , Pronolagus , Romerolagus,  and Sylvilagus ; 32 hares of the genus  Lepus  and 28 pikas of the genus  Ochotona . According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN 2014), the list of threatened species of lagomorphs includes one extinct, three critically endangered, ten endangered, five near threatened, five vulnerable, 61 of least concern, and six with deficient data. Although a rich diversity of lagomorphs and endemic species exists, some of the wild populations have been declining at an accelerated rate, product of human activities and climate change. In order to evaluate specific conservation actions for species at risk in the near future, the aim of this study is to determine the state of knowledge of endangered and critically endangered species and conservation proposals based on recent studies. This work should serve as a starting point for proposing management and habitat conservation plans for these species and filling the information gaps to address them as soon as possible. Methods:  We performed an analysis of the recent trends in the state of knowledge of worldwide endangered and critically endangered lagomorphs, based on the compilation of the recent bibliographic citations in the IUCN list of endangered species (2014), the Lagomorphs Specialist Group of the IUCN web page, and on published studies focusing on these species. Each study was divided into various topics to know those that need to be addressed. We show detailed information for species that are at risk of extinction in the near future (critically endangered and endangered categories), describing the threats to their populations and existing conservation proposals. Results:  A total of 13 endangered and critically endangered species of lagomorphs have been the subject of study with a total of 78 contributions, of which the most frequently represented (25) refer to phylogeny, systematics, taxonomy, and evolution, followed by conservation (18), and ecology (14); the least represented are studies of reproduction and morphology with only one each. The critically endangered and endangered species have restricted distributions and in general, their threat factors are introduction of exotic species; habitat loss due to development of human settlements and productive activities; induced fires for the growth of new grass shoots for livestock; poaching; and the presence of predators and feral dogs. Discussion and Conclusions: Worldwide human activities have affected the survival of species of lagomorphs, especially those with restricted distributions. Less than 55 % (7 species) of the total number of species of endangered and critically endangered lagomorphs has been subject of specific study in recent works (2011 to date); moreover, in some cases only one publication was found. Although recent efforts have generated knowledge about the state of conservation and threat factors of some species of endemic lagomorphs, more detailed and long-term studies are needed to propose management and conservation of their habitats in collaboration with society and different academic and institutional sectors. Key words:  Conservation, endemism, hares, lagomorphs, pikas, rabbits, risk category.


OF DISSERTATION NEUROPROTECTIVE STRATEGIES FOLLOWING EXPERIMENTAL TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY: LIPID PEROXIDATION-DERIVED ALDEHYDE SCAVENGING AND INHIBITION OF MITOCHONDRIAL PERMEABILITY TRANSITION Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents a significant health crisis. To date there are no FDA-approved pharmacotherapies available to prevent the neurologic deficits caused by TBI. Following TBI, dysfunctional mitochondria generate reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, initiating lipid peroxidation (LP) and the formation of LP-derived neurotoxic aldehydes, which bind mitochondrial proteins, exacerbating dysfunction and opening of the mitochondrial permeability pore (mPTP), resulting in extrusion of mitochondrial sequestered calcium into the cytosol, and initiating a downstream cascade of calpain activation, spectrin degradation, neurodegeneration and neurologic impairment. As central mediators of the TBI secondary injury cascade, mitochondria and LPderived neurotoxic aldehydes make promising therapeutic targets. In fact, Cyclosporine A (CsA), an FDA-approved immunosuppressant capable of inhibiting mPTP has been shown to be neuroprotective in experimental TBI. Additionally, phenelzine (PZ), an FDA-approved non-selective irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) class antidepressant has also been shown to be neuroprotective in experimental TBI due to the presence of a hydrazine (-NH-NH2) moiety allowing for the scavenging of LP-derived neurotoxic aldehydes. The overall goal of this dissertation is to further examine the neuroprotective effects of the mPTP inhibitor, CsA, and the LP-derived neurotoxic aldehyde scavenger, PZ, using a severe controlled cortical impact injury (CCI) model in 3-month old male Sprague-Dawley rats. First, the effects of CsA on cortical synaptic and non-synaptic mitochondria, two heterogeneous populations, are examined. Our results indicate that compared to nonsynaptic mitochondria, synaptic mitochondria sustain greater damage 24h following CCI and are protected to a greater degree by CsA. Second, the neuroprotective effects of a novel 72h continuous subcutaneous infusion of CsA combined with PZ are compared to monotherapy. Following CCI, our results indicate that individually both CsA and PZ attenuate modification of mitochondrial proteins by LP-derived neurotoxic aldehydes, PZ is able to maintain mitochondrial respiratory control ratio and cytoskeletal integrity, but together, PZ and CsA, are unable to improve and in some cases negate monotherapy neuroprotective effects. Finally, the effects of PZ (MAOI, aldehyde scavenger), pargyline (PG, MAOI, non-aldehyde scavenger) and hydralazine (HZ, non-MAOI, aldehyde scavenger) are compared. Our results indicate that PZ, PG, and HZ are unable to improve CCI-induced deficits to learning and memory as measured by Morris water maze (post-CCI D3-7). Of concern, PZ animals lost a significant amount of weight compared to all other group, possibly due to MAOI effects. In fact, in uninjured cortical tissue, PZ administration leads to a significant increase in norepinephrine and serotonin. Additionally, although PZ, PG, and HZ did not lead to a statistically significant improvement in cortical tissue sparing 8 days following CCI, the HZ group saw a 10% improvement over vehicle. Overall, these results indicate that pharmacotherapies which improve mitochondrial function and decrease lipid peroxidation should continue to be pursued as neuroprotective approaches to TBI. However, further pursuit of LP-derived aldehyde scavengers for clinical use in TBI may require the development of hydrazine (-NH-NH2)compounds which lack additional confounding mechanisms of action.


General formulas describing field distributions and eigenvalue equations for both transverse-electric and transverse-magnetic modes are used to analyze symmetric periodic stratified media. The half-phase shifts are discussed, and the eigenvalue equations for even and odd modes are obtained. Numerical results for some special cases are also given.


We present the color planar and complete light quark QCD contributions to the three loop heavy
quark form factors in the case of vector, axial-vector, scalar and pseudo-scalar currents. We eval-
uate the master integrals applying a new method based on differential equations for general bases,
which is applicable for any first order factorizing systems. The analytic results are expressed in
terms of harmonic polylogarithms and real-valued cyclotomic harmonic polylogarithms.


GaAs surface composition changes occurring during Al film growth using the CBE method with laser assistance were investigated in situ by means of laser reflectivity. The results were compared with data on precise chemical analyses and X-ray microanalyses carried out after film deposition. It was found that the peculiarity of film formation depended upon the laser power. Physicochemical interactions of the Ga atoms from the GaAs surface, with atoms and molecules from the surrounding media, are determinative reactions at a laser power of 2W. At a power of 0.02W, the laser reflectivity changes were mainly due to reactions with Al. The appearance of "free" Ga and As in the region outside of the laser spot indicated the destruction of GaAs islands weakly connected with the GaAs surface.


We study a regret minimization problem with the existence of multiple best/near-optimal arms in the multi-armed bandit setting. We consider the case when the number of arms/actions is comparable or much larger than the time horizon, and make no assumptions about the structure of the bandit instance. Our goal is to design algorithms that can automatically adapt to the unknown hardness of the problem, i.e., the number of best arms. Our setting captures many modern applications of bandit algorithms where the action space is enormous and the information about the underlying instance/structure is unavailable. We first propose an adaptive algorithm that is agnostic to the hardness level and theoretically derive its regret bound. We then prove a lower bound for our problem setting, which indicates: (1) no algorithm can be minimax optimal simultaneously over all hardness levels; and (2) our algorithm achieves a rate function that is Pareto optimal. With additional knowledge of the expected reward of the best arm, we propose another adaptive algorithm that is minimax optimal, up to polylog factors, over all hardness levels. Experimental results confirm our theoretical guarantees and show advantages of our algorithms over the previous state-of-the-art.


Hemorrhagic cystitis is bleeding which originates from the bladder. Chemotherapy and radiation account for the majority of cases, but it can also result from a variety of drugs, infections, or a primary cancer. It is a significant problem after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, and is associated with a high mortality rate. Bladder manipulations with instillations of alum, formalin, phenol, and silver nitrate have had limited success for cystitis after bone marrow transplantation. Prostaglandin bladder instillation is a simple bedside procedure that appears promising for this group of patients. While it is not a guaranteed treatment for all patients, it offers clear advantages over the previous treatments that were available. When prostaglandin bladder instillations fail, then surgical intervention with urinary diversion is justified.


This paper evaluates the dynamics of ethnicity and politics in the 2007 and 2012 gubernatorial elections in Jakarta. Previous research has mostly emphasised the negative impact of ethnicity on politics in the reformasi era, particularly through ethnic polarisation. By closely evaluating the major ethnic groups living in the mega-city, i.e. the Javanese, Betawi and Chinese, the author shows that the relationship between ethnicity and voting patterns is an intricate one that is not static, particularly if one evaluates a commonly overlooked but crucial factor – the time frame. The author argues that ethnicity continues to play a role in elections even though it is less significant than education and flood variables. The relationship between ethnicity and voting patterns is thus very dynamic, being related to the political context at the time of an election. The findings in this paper open up new questions on ethnicity and politics in a plural society like Indonesia.


Use of electricity in industry opened a new age which is dominated by industrial automation. In the beginning, automation systems were based on electro-mechanical systems consisting of relays and contactors. Developments in semiconductor technology inevitably transformed the existing structure and cause electronic-controlled Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) to prevail in the automation systems. PLCs consist of a microcontroller/microprocessor, relay or transistor for switching, isolating equipment such as opto-couplers and voltage converter/inverters. Industrial PLCs are quite expensive devices. In this study, design and implementation of a low-cost PLC using PIC18F4580 microcontroller are realized. Special software including a graphical user-interface is developed for programming the PLC and transferring code data to the device. Both ladder diagram and word instructions can be used for programming the PLC.


Background: Complexities generally are conundrums that inhibit efficiency and effectiveness in research and practice; one of the symptoms of this is nebulous obstruction to task completion in the workplace. Complexities in work procedures create complications in the application of procedures for completing tasks. Recent trends in the Auditor General's report have demonstrated the metastasising culture of non-compliance to work procedures in municipalities in South Africa. Research, as well as the audit outcomes for the Eastern Cape in particular, is a testament to this assertion. Therefore, there is no need to make work more complex. Aim: To ascertain whether the application of Taylorism in the workplace could improve performance and to access the utilisation of work procedure in municipalities in the Eastern Cape. Setting: This study was carried out using quantitative data collected from a District Municipality and its five local municipalities at the Transkei area of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Method: A survey completed by 593 municipality workers (junior workers) was collected and analysed using statistical methods and triangulation. Results: Findings from the article reveals that work procedures in the organisation might be old and archaic. It may be relevant to workers who have little or no interference from externalities with regard to their job commitments. It recommends that those officials that perform routinised functions in municipalities should use a work procedure manual when completing their task. Based on the notion that work procedures engender compliance, increase outcome and output, increase productivity, save time, reduce stress and organisational friction or conflict in organisations. Conclusion: It concludes that procedures that are comprehensible (simple), accessible (organically inputted and communicated) and accurate (effectively designed) will improve the daily functionality of lower echelon staff in the municipalities, especially those requiring little or no external influence on the completion of a task.


Summary The development of a Klebsiella serotyping method by counter-current immunoelectrophoresis (CIE) is described. Antisera were prepared against the capsular antigens of 72 type strains and tested for the specificity and strength of their precipitin reactions with antigens from homologous and heterologous serotypes. All antisera produced strong reactions with their homologous antigen: when diluted to titre 63 were highly specific, 3 cross-reacted strongly and 6 weakly with one other antigen. Pools of antisera for screening purposes were constructed on the basis of common cross-reactions: component serotypes of each pool could be detected strongly and specifically. The technique is simple to perform, fairly rapid, and economical in the use of antisera. Results can be read easily and quickly and the intensity of cross-reactions compared directly. The technique appears to be more specific and is less time consuming than the Quellung method, but further assessment of its efficacy in typing routine clinical cultures is necessary.


We review the Raman shift method as a non-destructive optical tool to investigate the thermal conductivity and demonstrate the possibility to map this quantity with a micrometer resolution by studying thin film and bulk materials for thermoelectric applications. In this method, a focused laser beam both thermally excites a sample and undergoes Raman scattering at the excitation spot. The temperature dependence of the phonon energies measured is used as a local thermometer. We discuss that the temperature measured is an effective one and describe how the thermal conductivity is deduced from single temperature measurements to full temperature maps, with the help of analytical or numerical treatments of heat diffusion. We validate the method and its analysis on three- and two-dimensional single crystalline samples before applying it to more complex Si-based materials. A suspended thin mesoporous film of phosphorus-doped laser-sintered Si 78 Ge 22 ?> nanoparticles is investigated to extract the in-plane thermal conductivity from the effective temperatures, measured as a function of the distance to the heat sink. Using an iterative multigrid Gauss–Seidel algorithm the experimental data can be modelled yielding a thermal conductivity of 0.1 W/m K after normalizing by the porosity. As a second application we map the surface of a phosphorus-doped three-dimensional bulk-nanocrystalline Si sample which exhibits anisotropic and oxygen-rich precipitates. Thermal conductivities as low as 11 W/m K are found in the regions of the precipitates, significantly lower than the 17 W/m K in the surrounding matrix. The present work serves as a basis to more routinely use the Raman shift method as a versatile tool for thermal conductivity investigations, both for samples with high and low thermal conductivity and in a variety of geometries.


This presentation intends to explore urban ambiances through focusing on the world of sounds. What can be learned about an ambiance when we just listen to it? How and under which conditions is it possible to develop a sonic paradigm of urban ambiances? The basic argument is to consider sound as a particularly efficient medium to investigate and develop an account of urban ambiances. Various ideas will be explored in order to answer this question, involving theoretical, epistemological and methodological arguments. Three main directions are accentuated: the first one relates to the tuning into an ambiance, the second relates to the unfolding of an ambiance, and the third relates to the situating within an ambiance.


Processing through the application of severe plastic deformation (SPD) has become important over the last decade because it is now recognized that it provides a simple procedure for producing fully-dense bulk metals with grain sizes lying typically in the submicrometer range. There are two major procedures for SPD processing. First, equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) refers to the repetitive pressing of a metal bar or rod through a die where the sample is constrained within a channel bent through an abrupt angle at, or close to, 90 degrees. Second, high-pressure torsion (HPT) refers to the procedure in which the sample, generally in the form of a thin disk, is subjected to a very high pressure and concurrent torsional straining. Both of these processes are capable of producing metallic alloys with ultrafine grain sizes and with a reasonable degree of homogeneity. Furthermore, the samples produced in this way may exhibit exceptional mechanical properties including high strength at ambient temperature through the Hall-Petch relationship and a potential superplastic forming capability at elevated temperatures. This paper reviews these two procedures and gives examples of the properties of aluminum alloys after SPD processing.


[1] Basal melting of ice shelves around Antarctica contributes to formation of Antarctic Bottom Water and can affect global sea level by altering the offshore flow of grounded ice streams and glaciers. Tides influence ice shelf basal melt rate (wb) by contributing to ocean mixing and mean circulation as well as thermohaline exchanges with the ice shelf. We use a three-dimensional ocean model, thermodynamically coupled to a nonevolving ice shelf, to investigate the relationship between topography, tides, andwb for Larsen C Ice Shelf (LCIS) in the northwestern Weddell Sea, Antarctica. Using our best estimates of ice shelf thickness and seabed topography, we find that the largest modeled LCIS melt rates occur in the northeast, where our model predicts strong diurnal tidal currents (∼0.4 m s−1). This distribution is significantly different from models with no tidal forcing, which predict largest melt rates along the deep grounding lines. We compare several model runs to explore melt rate sensitivity to geometry, initial ocean potential temperature (θ0), thermodynamic parameterizations of heat and freshwater ice-ocean exchange, and tidal forcing. The resulting range of LCIS-averagedwb is ∼0.11–0.44 m a−1. The spatial distribution of wb is very sensitive to model geometry and thermodynamic parameterization while the overall magnitude of wb is influenced by θ0. These sensitivities in wbpredictions reinforce a need for high-resolution maps of ice draft and sub-ice-shelf seabed topography together with ocean temperature measurements at the ice shelf front to improve representation of ice shelves in coupled climate system models.


As the information on the Internet continues growing exponentially, understanding and assessing the reliability of a website is becoming increasingly important. Misinformation has far-ranging repercussions, from sowing mistrust in media to undermining democratic elections. While some research investigates how to alert people to misinformation on the web, much less research has been conducted on explaining how websites engage in spreading false information. To fill the research gap, we present MisVis, a web-based interactive visualization tool that helps users assess a website's reliability by understanding how it engages in spreading false information on the World Wide Web. MisVis visualizes the hyperlink connectivity of the website and summarizes key characteristics of the Twitter accounts that mention the site. A large-scale user study with 139 participants demonstrates that MisVis facilitates users to assess and understand false information on the web and node-link diagrams can be used to communicate with non-experts. MisVis is available at the public demo link: https://poloclub.github.io/MisVis.


Incidental exposure to shared news on Facebook is a vital but understudied aspect of how citizens get involved with politics. This experiment investigates the influence of recommender characteristics (tie strength, political knowledge, political similarity) and different media sources (tabloids, legacy, and digital-born outlets) including multiple mediators (e.g., social pressure, outlet credibility) on incidental exposure to political news on Facebook. A 3 × 3 multi-stimulus, between-subject experiment with two additional quasi-factors and 135 different stimuli was conducted using a representative sample (N = 507). Results showed that strong ties and recommenders with high knowledge increase news exposure, but the impact of knowledge is limited to recommenders with similar political opinions. Similar effects occur for different media types, which also have an independent impact on news exposure. Structural equation modeling reveals that media source effects are mediated through media perceptions, whereas recommender effects work via the desire for social monitoring and perceived issue importance.


Adult neurogenesis occurs in the adult mammalian subventricular zone (SVZ) along the walls of the lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. While a burgeoning body of research implicates adult neurogenesis in olfactory bulb (OB)- and hippocampal-related behaviors, the precise function continues to elude. To further assess the behavioral importance of adult neurogenesis, we herein generated a novel inducible transgenic mouse model of adult neurogenesis reduction where mice with CreERT2 under doublecortin (DCX) promoter control were crossed with mice where diphtheria toxin A (DTA) was driven by the Rosa26 promoter. Activation of DTA, through the administration of tamoxifen (TAM), results in a specific reduction of DCX+ immature neurons in both the hippocampal dentate gyrus and OB. We show that the decrease of DCX+ cells causes impaired social discrimination ability in both young adult (from 3 months) and middle aged (from 10 months) mice. Furthermore, these animals showed an age-independent altered coping behavior in the Forced Swim Test without clear changes in anxiety-related behavior. Notably, these behavior changes were reversible on repopulating the neurogenic zones with DCX+ cells on cessation of the TAM treatment, demonstrating the specificity of this effect. Overall, these results support the notion that adult neurogenesis plays a role in social memory and in stress coping but not necessarily in anxiety-related behavior.


We develop a new implementation of a Michelson interferometer designed to make measurements with an uncertainty of less than 20 pm. This new method uses a tunable diode laser as the light source, with the diode laser wavelength continuously tuned to fix the number of fringes in the measured optical path. The diode laser frequency is measured by beating against a reference laser. High-speed, accurate frequency measurements of the beat frequency signal enables the diode laser wavelength to be measured with nominally 20-pm accuracy for the measurements described. The new interferometer design is lightweight and is mounted directly on an ultra-high vacuum scanning tunneling microscope capable of atomic resolution. We report the simultaneous acquisition of an atomic resolution image, while the relative lateral displacement of the tip along the sample distance is measured with the new tunable diode laser Michelson interferometer. © 2004 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.


With the repeated values, that the factorial experiments will be in three nested factors. And, the third factor is presented by experimental units (subjects). The repeated values or the experimental unit treatments definitely can be taken. These treatments can be dealt with as a fourth factor. Actually, these kinds of experiments have been analyzed in factorial ways, which are presented by the F test. That can be taken place in the condition of variance analysis to the repeated values experiments and in case there is no condition fitting in, we may use non-factorial ways which are presented by shifting into ranks. Therefore, the aim of this research is to make an analyzed study for this kind of factorial ways or non-factorial. This kind of experiment can be applied to Thalassemia in Thi-Qar province.


This paper examines the operational environment of corporate governance, and the need for corporate governance to be made compulsory and compliance enforced on limited liability companies and public institutions. Shareholders and investors should be assured of protection against the malfeasance managers. The paper also advocates the enforcement of the codes of best practices on corporate governance in Nigeria (i.e. Transparency, Due process, Quality of management, Data integrity and Disclosure Requirement).


Aim of the paper is to analyse the differences in survival times of job contracts among subgroups of workers, based on different socio-demographic characteristics such as age, gender, educational level, geographical area. We examine the differences both in the length of the first job contract and in the waiting time between the end of the first contract and the beginning of a new one. We in particular also the well-known Gini index to the measurement of concentration in survival times within groups of workers, and as a way to compare the distribution of survival times across such groups. We consider a test for differences in the heterogeneity of survival distributions, which may suggest the presence of a differential covariates effect on the job contract survival. The analysis is based on the Italian Compulsory Communications system data, which record all the activations, transformations, fixed-term extensions and anticipated terminations of employment relationships between any worker and employer in Italy.


So far, we have developed effective wide area disaster information network (WDN) using Internet over the combination of both wired and wireless network. In this information network, two important functions including resident safety information system and bidirectional video communication system between evacuation places and disaster information center are provided. However, in this WDM, system failure of network and computing facilities by disaster was not considered. In order to recover the information system as soon as possible from the system failure, network protocol has to deal with those requirements. We introduce Wireless Recovery Protocol (WRP) to temporally recover WDM with minimum configuration as soon as possible even though some of network and computing facilities were damaged by disaster, using network management and GPS functions. The design and implementation of the WRP is precisely described. The prototype system and its hardware and software environment to evaluate its functionality are also precisely described.